Kartchner Caverns, Arizona climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Kartchner Caverns's normal year runs from 33°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 15.3 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 16.7°C, January lows of 0°C, July highs of 33°C, 388 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationKartchner Caverns
- Station IDUSC00024534
- Location31.84°N 110.36°W
- Elevation4,690 ft (1,430 m)
On October 24, the normal high in Kartchner Caverns is 76°F and the normal low 47°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Kartchner Caverns.
- Jan 60° 33°
- Feb 62° 35°
- Mar 69° 40°
- Apr 75° 45°
- May 84° 52°
- Jun 94° 61°
- Jul 91° 65°
- Aug 89° 64°
- Sep 86° 59°
- Oct 79° 50°
- Nov 68° 39°
- Dec 59° 34°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Kartchner Caverns each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 33°F. The most precipitation falls in August (3.50 in), the least in May (0.21 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 60°F | 33°F | 46.2°F | 1.14 | – | <1 | 12 | 10 h 20 min |
| February | 62°F | 35°F | 48.8°F | 0.97 | – | <1 | 9 | 11 h |
| March | 69°F | 40°F | 54.5°F | 0.69 | – | <1 | 2 | 12 h |
| April | 75°F | 45°F | 60.1°F | 0.27 | – | 1 | <1 | 13 h |
| May | 84°F | 52°F | 67.8°F | 0.21 | – | 6 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| June | 94°F | 61°F | 77.4°F | 0.54 | – | 27 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| July | 91°F | 65°F | 78.3°F | 3.22 | – | 20 | <1 | 14 h |
| August | 89°F | 64°F | 76.2°F | 3.50 | – | 16 | <1 | 13 h 20 min |
| September | 86°F | 59°F | 72.2°F | 2.14 | – | 8 | <1 | 12 h 20 min |
| October | 79°F | 50°F | 64.1°F | 0.81 | – | 2 | <1 | 11 h 30 min |
| November | 68°F | 39°F | 53.5°F | 0.65 | – | <1 | 3 | 10 h 30 min |
| December | 59°F | 34°F | 46.3°F | 1.12 | – | <1 | 14 | 10 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 76°F | 48°F | 62.1°F | 15.26 | – | 79 | 40 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 0°C | 7.9°C | 29 mm |
| February | 17°C | 2°C | 9.3°C | 25 mm |
| March | 21°C | 4°C | 12.5°C | 18 mm |
| April | 24°C | 7°C | 15.6°C | 7 mm |
| May | 29°C | 11°C | 19.9°C | 5 mm |
| June | 34°C | 16°C | 25.2°C | 14 mm |
| July | 33°C | 18°C | 25.7°C | 82 mm |
| August | 32°C | 18°C | 24.6°C | 89 mm |
| September | 30°C | 15°C | 22.3°C | 54 mm |
| October | 26°C | 10°C | 17.8°C | 21 mm |
| November | 20°C | 4°C | 11.9°C | 17 mm |
| December | 15°C | 1°C | 7.9°C | 28 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Benson (7 miles away), gets 0 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00024534; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
Which months are mildest at Kartchner Caverns?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in March, April, May, October and November.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00024534.
When is the last frost at Kartchner Caverns?
In Kartchner Caverns, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after March 20 in half of years and after April 11 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before November 15 in half of years and before November 1 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- March 201 year in 10 after April 11; 9 in 10 after February 25
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- November 151 year in 10 before November 1; 9 in 10 before December 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 237 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 271 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after February 28 in half of springs and before November 28 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Kartchner Caverns in zone 8b in ZIP code 85616, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Arizona · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00024534; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get at Kartchner Caverns?
In a normal year in Kartchner Caverns, 79 days a year reach 90°F (5 of them 100°F or more) and 40 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 79a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 40a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- fewer than 1high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00024534.
How sunny is it at Kartchner Caverns?
Over a year 89% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Kartchner Caverns, 5.8 kWh per square metre a day. May is the sunniest month (94%) and July the cloudiest (79%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 87% | 3.8 |
| February | 87% | 4.7 |
| March | 90% | 6.2 |
| April | 94% | 7.6 |
| May | 94% | 8.3 |
| June | 92% | 8.1 |
| July | 79% | 6.5 |
| August | 83% | 6.3 |
| September | 87% | 5.8 |
| October | 92% | 5.2 |
| November | 90% | 4.1 |
| December | 87% | 3.5 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How many heating and cooling degree days does Kartchner Caverns record?
A normal year at Kartchner Caverns brings 2,602 heating degree days, 52% fewer than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,572 cooling degree days, 73% more than the median (908). Five months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 4,940 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 583 | 0 |
| February | 454 | 0 |
| March | 329 | 3 |
| April | 166 | 19 |
| May | 48 | 134 |
| June | 0 | 371 |
| July | 0 | 412 |
| August | 0 | 347 |
| September | 4 | 221 |
| October | 90 | 62 |
| November | 347 | 2 |
| December | 581 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 2,602 | 1,572 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00024534. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Have recent years at Kartchner Caverns been warmer than normal?
2024 averaged 63.8°F, 1.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 62.1°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 63.8°F | +1.7°F | 12.47 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00024534. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Kartchner Caverns's climate compare?
Kartchner Caverns is warmer than 36 of the 97 places with their own NOAA record in Arizona, and wetter than 65. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 62.1°F is warmer than 80%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Kartchner Caverns is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Kartchner Caverns share this climate record?
3 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Whetstone, AZ2,840 people · 9 mi SE
- Mescal, AZ1,601 people · 10 mi NW
- J-Six Ranchettes, AZ529 people · 11 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Kartchner Caverns's climate
What is the coldest month at Kartchner Caverns?
January, with a normal high of 60°F and a normal low of 33°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 65°F at night).
Does it snow at Kartchner Caverns?
Rarely. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for the station; the nearest record that keeps one, Benson (7 miles away), records 0 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month at Kartchner Caverns?
August, with 3.50 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is May with 0.21 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Kartchner Caverns in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Kartchner Caverns in zone 8b in ZIP code 85616, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come at Kartchner Caverns?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after March 20; in one year in ten it comes after April 11. Waiting until April 11 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Arizona climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Benson, AZ7 miles from this station, 63.3°F a year
- Fort Huachuca Pioneer Airfield, AZ16 miles from this station, 62.7°F a year
- Tombstone, AZ19 miles from this station, 65.7°F a year
- Elgin, AZ19 miles from this station, 59.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made